Democrats and a Carbon Tax: A Losing Issue Then, Now

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 11, 2019 No Comments

“We have done extensive polling on a carbon tax. It all sucks.”

– John Podesta (Clinton campaign manager), January 2015.

“[A carbon tax is] lethal in the general [election], so I don’t want to support one.”

– Robby Mook (Clinton campaign manager), June 2015.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign would not touch it. Neither would be Democratic Platform in 2016. “[Hillary] Clinton has no intention of being suckered into a political disaster by advocating a carbon tax,” stated Democrat consultant
Paul Bledsoe in July 2016.

If Republicans will come out for it and vote for it, that’s a different matter. But until that happens, the Democrats should have nothing to do with it, because it’s political poison.” –

So if attention-hungry, anti-Trump Republicans (such as Mitt Romney) want to make a carbon tax an issue, be careful.…

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Judith Curry on Taylor’s “Fat Tails” Argument for CO2 Pricing

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 5, 2019 2 Comments

“Weitzman’s fat tail, with 10% chance of climate sensitivities out beyond 10C are circa 2007 (AR5); these extreme values have been pretty much debunked by the AR5 (not to mention Nic Lewis’ recent work…. Jerry Taylor’s argument for a carbon tax doesn’t really hold up.” (Judith Curry, below)

In her May 2015 piece, “What Would It Take to Convince You About Global Warming?,” Judith Curry tackles the “fat tails” argument for pricing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. She also considers Jerry Taylor’s argument for his conversion. (Taylor said: “… as each rebuttal was issued to Weitzman, they were just shredded. And then Litterman comes along and marries that analysis to the financial markets…. So my position fundamentally switched at that point.”))

Curry works from the IPCC consensus to question fat-tails as a basis for policy activism.…

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Energy & Environmental Newsletter: May 28, 2019

By -- May 28, 2019 2 Comments

The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of individuals and organizations interested in improving national, state, and local energy and environmental policies. Our premise is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science (please consult WiseEnergy.org for more information).

A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every three weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and the environment. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

A moral case for zero emission electricity for all

German Failure on the Road to a Renewable Future

Concerns about Turbine interference with Military are Legitimate

Is The Long Renewables Honeymoon Over?

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The Left’s Climate Policy Darling: Buyer Beware

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 8, 2019 9 Comments

For anyone worried about climate change, Jerry Taylor is an intriguing figure. He “spent years as a professional climate denier at the Cato Institute, arguing against climate science, regulations, and treaties in op-eds, speeches, and media appearances”… But then Taylor began to change his mind…. [David Leonhardt (New York Times), “Conservatives for the Climate.” April 25, 2019]

[NOTE: This begins my two-part series on the fake conversion of Jerry Taylor. Part II is tomorrow.]

Yesterday’s post described two columnists at the New York Times, Bret Stephens and Ross Douthat, who have editorialized against climate alarmism. In a debate/discussion with Douthat, fellow columnist David Leonhardt highlighted the conversion experience of Jerry Taylor, founder and head of the Niskanen Center, which advertises itself as “Improving Policy, Advancing Liberty.”…

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Twinges of Climate Realism at the New York Times (Stephens, Douthat vs. the rest of the paper)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 7, 2019 4 Comments Continue Reading

“Save Earth”: Houston Chronicle Goes 1970s (Malthusian alarm getting long in the tooth)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 30, 2019 2 Comments Continue Reading

Energy & Environmental Newsletter: April 29, 2019

By -- April 29, 2019 1 Comment Continue Reading

MasterResource in the News (problems of wind power)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 24, 2019 1 Comment Continue Reading

Climategate Remembered: The Need for a Second Opinion (new panel taking shape)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 17, 2019 2 Comments Continue Reading

Stephen Moore on Energy: Sound as Gold

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 15, 2019 No Comments Continue Reading